Report: Joseph Giacona III, 14, of Vernon, admits shooting father to death

A 14-year-old boy accused of shooting his father to death while he was lying on a couch in their Vernon home pleaded guilty this morning to first-degree manslaughter, the Utica Observer-Dispatch is reporting.

Joseph Giacona III, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, was the youngest person ever to be charged with murder in Oneida County, the district attorney's office has said.

Prosecutors say the boy shot his father, Joseph Giacona Jr., 37, in the head with a shotgun while the man slept on the couch in their Vernon home on Jan. 24, 2008. Assistant District Attorney Kurt Hameline has said police began investigating the boy's role in the killing because of inconsistencies in his story that began shortly after police arrived.